Thermostat control



P. B PARKS May 27, 1930.

THERMOSTAT CONTROL Original Filed June 18, 1927 SEQ/22 fiaz'iz [17249ITufen 0T faulfif ars gs (/1; M

@ orngys Patented May 27, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL B.PARKS, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO VAPOR OAR HEATING COM- PANY,INQ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK THERMOSTAT CONTROLOriginal application filed June 18, 1927, Serial No. 189,715. Dividedand this application filed August 8,

My invention relates to thermostatic mechanism for controlling heatingsystems, refrigerating systems, or any other apparatus designed to becontrolled or its operation started, stopped or varied in response totemperature changes; and the object of the invention is to provide meanswhereby the functioning of the thermostat may be varied, without actualadjustment of any part thereof, by regulatably varying the temperatureof the air or other fluid in the immediate vicinity of the thermostat,for example, the temperature of the atmosphere in proximity to thethermally responsive part of the instrument. The invention may beutilized with a mercury tube electric circuit controlling thermostat, inwhich connection the invention has particular utility because of thegreat difliculty in adjusting the thermostat itself for response todifferent temperatures; or it may be utilized with any other type ofthermostat or thermally responsive instrument. Several forms of thisinvention were first disclosed and broadly claimed in my eopendin'gapplication Serial No. 199,715, filed June 18, 1927, of which thispresent application is a division.

According to the present invention, a housing is positioned adjacent thethermostat, and a heating or cooling element positioned in this housingadjusts the temperature of the air passing therethrough. A motordrivenfan projects air through this housing against the thermostat, and byadjusting the speed of the fan, the quantity of heated or cooled airprojected on the thermostat may be varied so as to obtain the propertemperature adjustment in the thermostat.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus such asbriefly described hereinabove, and disclosed more in detail in thedescription which follows.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent fromthe following detailed description of certain .approved forms of theapparatus.

In the accompanying drawings:

F'g. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the application of theinvention to a thermostatically controlled steam heating system.

Serial No, 297,223.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the application of the invention to arefrigerating system.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 10 and 11 designate the inlet and returnpipes of a radiator, indicated diagrammatically at 9, for example, theheating coil of a railway car, and 12 and 13 are the supply anddischarge pipes, the pipe 12 leading from the steam train line which isconnected with a source of constant steam supply. The pipes 12 and 13are connected with the casing of a four-Way valve D, the valve member ofwhich is fastened to a spindle 14, operated by a lever 15, engaged withthe double core structure 16 of a pair of solenoids E and F, E being thevalve opening solenoid and F the valve closing solenoid. The relay Jswitches the current between solenoids E and F, and L is a thermostat,shown as a mercury column type of thermostat, which by making andbreaking acircuit, brings about the short circuiting or energization ofthe relay J. A battery or other source of supply of current is shown atQ. A snap switch H operated by a lever 17 connected with the, mainoperating lever 15 of valve B, breaks the circuit through the solenoid Eor F, as the case may be, at the end of the valve movement, this snapswitch comprising an oscillating lever 18 operating against contacts 19and 20.

The operation of the system as thus far described is as follows: Withthe parts of the apparatus in the positions shown, the heating system isat or above the temperature at which the thermostat L functions to closethe circuit which it controls. Valve D is therefore closed. The circuitthrough the thermostat Y is as follows:

Circuit N 0. 1.From batter Q, through wire 21, resistance 22, wire 23,ower contact 24 of the thermostat L, mercury column 25 of thethermostat, upper contact 26 of the thermostat, wire 27, resistance 28and wire 29 back to the battery.

The resistance of the relay J being greater than the resistance throughthe thermostat, the relay is efl'ectively short circuited and thepivoted armature 30 has dropped down onto the lower contact 31.

Since the valve D is closed to cut off the supply of heating fluid tothe radiator 9, the

space heated by this system will gradually cool and when the mercurycolumn of the thermostat by descending moves out of contact with contact26, the circuit ust traced is broken, resulting in the energization overwires32 and 33 of the relay J, which attracts the armature against uppercontact 34. A circuit is now closed through solenoid E which opens theradiator valve D to adm1t steam to the radiator, the room temperaturebeing below that which the thermostat L is designed to maintain. Thiscircuit is as follows:

Circuit N 0. 2.-From battery Q through wire 21, wire 35, armature 30,contact 34, wire 36, solenoid E, wire 37, contact 20, snap switch lever18, wire 38, and wire 29, back to the battery. Solenoid E is nowenergized so as to move the core member 16 to the left and thermostat.

open valve D. As soon as the valve movement is completed, arm 18isthrown over against contact 19, thus breaking the circuitthroughsolenoid E.

When the temperature in the room again rises to the point at which themercury ooh umn 25 of thermostat L touches contact 26, a circuit iscompleted through the closing solenoid F, due to the short circuiting ofrelay J, the circuit being as follows:

Uz'rcuit N0. 3.From battery Q, through wires 21 and 35, armature 30,contact-31, wire 39, solenoid F, wire 40, contact 19, snap switch arm 18and wires 38 and 29 to the battery.

The temperature-adjusting mechanism for the thermostat comprises anindirect heater R, consisting of a housing 52 in which is positioned acoil 51, connected at both ends with the main steam supply pipe. 50.Housing 52 has an inlet opening 54, and an outlet or chimney 53 directedagainst the bulb of the The fan T is driven by motor 55, the speed ofwhich is controlled by the rheostat S. The motor may be energized by ashunt circuit from circuit No. 1. this circuit being as follows: Frombattery Q, through wire 21, wire 56, motor 55, wire 57 rheostat S, wires58'and 29 to battery Q. By adjusting the rheostat S to vary the amountof current supplied to the fan motor, the speed of fan '1 may be varied,thus varying the amount of air projected into housing 52 through inletopening 54 and thence projected through outlet 53 onto the thermostat L.This air projected through housing 52 is heated by the coil 51. It willbe apparent that this heated air affects a substantially constantadjustment in the thermostat L, and the amount of this adjustment may bevaried by changing the setting of rheostat S. In this way the thermostatcan be influenced, regulatably, so that any desired temperature may bemaintained in the apartment being heated. For example, a low temperaturemay be maintained at night and a higher temperature in the day-time,without any adjustment of the thermostat itself. Less care need be takenin the manufacture of the thermostat, since the rheostat may be set tocom ensate for any inacuracyinthe placing of t e upper contact 26 of thethermostat. Also a circula t-ionvof air is maintained past thethermostat, which gives it a quicker and more accurate response totemperature ehangesin the space wherein the temperature is tobecontrolled.

The application of this invention to a refrigerating system isillustrated in Fig. 2. The supply pipe 60 for the refrigerating mediumleads from the condensing coil 59, through cut-ofi or control valve D tothe refrigerating pipe 61 The auxiliary cooling device R (whichcorresponds in general to the auxiliary heating device R,-shown in Fig.1), comprises a housing 62, in which is positioned a cooling coil 63connected at both ends to the supply pipe 60. The fan T is driven by themotor 64, the speed of which is controlled by rheostat S. The motorcircuit from bat-- tery Q, or other source of power is as follows: Wire65, wire 66, motor 64, wire 67, solenoid S, and wire 68 back to thebattery. The fan T projects air through inlet opening 69 of housing 62,and this air after being cooled by coil 63 is projected through outletopening or chimney 7 0 against the thermostat L.

As shown in the drawings, the temperature in the space controlled bythis refrigerating apparatus has risen above the desired maximum so thatthermostat L has completed a circuit, short circuiting the relay J, thiscircuit being as follows Uz'rcuz't No. 4.From battery Q through wire 65,resistance 71, wire 72, lower contact 78 of thermostat L, mercury column74, upper contact 75, wire76, resistance 77, and wire 78 back to thebattery.

Since relay J has been short circuited, the pivoted armature 79 hasdropped onto the contact 80, closing a circuit through solenoid 81 ofvalve D, as follows:

Circuit No. 5.From battery Q, wire 65,

wire 82, armature 7 9, contact 80, wire 83, coil of solenoid 81, andwire 84 back to the battery.

The solenoid 81 being energized will open the valve D so as to admitrefrigerating medium to pipe 61, thus lowering the temperature in thespace to be controlled.

When the temperature has been sufficiently lowered in this space, thethermostat L will move down so as to break circuit N o. 4 at 7 5,whereupon the relay J will be energized as follows:

Oz'rcuit N0. 6.-From battery Q, wire 65, resistance 71, wire 85, relayJ, Wire 86, resistance 7 7 and wire 78 to the battery.

This will elevate the armature 79 so as to break circuit No. 5 atcontact 80, thus deenergizing solenoid 81 and closing the valve D soagainst this solenoid. In this case the air is cooled by pipe 63 so thata constant cooling correction is applied to the thermostat, and theamount of this correction may be adjusted by setting the fan motor.

I claim:

1. In a temperature regulating system, a temperature controllingthermostat mounted so as to be exposed to the air in the space, thetemperature of which is being regulated, whereby the thermostat willrespond to changes in the temperature in this space, and means foradjusting the thermostat comprising a housing mounted adjacent thethermostat, said housing having an inlet opening for receiving air fromthe space and an outlet opening directed toward the thermostat, meansfor projecting a regulatable quantity of air through the housing againstthe thermostat, and means positioned within the housing and over whichthe air is forced for changing the temperature of this air.

2. In a temperature regulating system, a temperature controllingthermostat mounted so as to be exposed to the air in the space, thetemperature of which is being regulated, whereby the thermostat willrespond to changes in the temperature in this space, and means foradjusting the thermostat comprising a housing mounted adjacent thethermostat, said housing having an inlet opening for receiving air fromthe space and an outlet opening directed toward the thermostat, a fanadjacent the inlet opening for project ing air through the housingagainst the thermostat, means for regulating the fan to vary thequantity of air projected, and means positioned Within the housing andover which the air is forced for changing the temperature of this air.

3. In a temperature regulating system, a temperature controllingthermostat mounted so as to be exposed to the air in the space, thetemperature of which is being regulated, whereby the thermostat willrespond to changes in the temperature in this space, and means foradjusting the thermostat comprising a housing mounted adjacent thethermostat, said housing having an inlet opening for receiving air fromthe space and an outlet opening directed toward the thermostat, a fanadjacent the inlet opening for projecting air through the housingagainst the thermostat, means for regulating the fan to vary thequantity of air projected, a pipe coil within the housing and means forcirculating a temperature adjusting fluid through the coil.

4. In a temperature regulatin system, a source of temperature adjustinguid, a main the rheostat S which controls temperature adjustin -means, avalve for controlling the suppy of fluid from the source to thetemperature adjusting means, an electrically operated means forcontrolling the valve, said latter means comprising a circuit making andbreaking thermostat,

means for varying the operation of the thermostat by projectlng againstthe same a regulatable quantity of air, and means positioned in the pathof the air and supplied with fluid from the source for establishing thetemperature of this air.

5. In a temperature regulatin system, a source of temperature adjustinguid, a main temperature adjustin means, a valve for controlling the suppy of fluid from the source to the temperature adjusting means, anelectrically operated means for controlling the valve, said latter meanscomprising a circuit making and breaking thermostat, a housing mountedadjacent the thermostat, said housing having an inlet opening and anoutlet opening directed toward the thermostat, a

opening directed toward the thermostat, a

coil in the housing supplied with fluid from the source, a fan adjacentthe inlet opening for projecting air through the housing against thethermostat, and means for regu lating the fan for adjusting the quantityof air projected.

7. In a temperature regulating system, a source of temperature adjustingfluid, a main temperature adjusting means, a valve for controlling thesupply of fluid from the source to the temperature adjusting means, anelectrically operated means for controlling the-valve, said latter meanscomprising a circuit making and breaking thermostat, a housing mountedadjacent the thermostat, said housing having an inlet opening and anoutlet opening directed toward the thermostat, a coil in the housingsupplied with fluid from the source, a fan adjacent the inlet openingfor projecting air through the housing against the thermostat, a motorfor driving the fan, and a rheostat for adjusting the speed of themotor.

8. In a temperature regulating system, a steam supply main, a radiator,a valve for to the radiator, an electrically operated means or openingor closing the valve, said means comprising a circuit making andbreaking thermostat, a housing mounted adjacent the thermostat, saidhousing havin an inlet opening and an outlet opening irected toward thethermostat, a radiating coil in the housing constantly supplied withsteam front the main, a fan adjacent the inlet opening for projectingair through the housing against the thermostat,-and means for regulatingthe fan to vary the quantity of heated air projected. 7 PAUL B. PARKS.

